Top 5 Comic Book Based Video Games

3. Marvel Ultimate Alliance

Even though I am a horrible stickler for following the source material, the next two titles on the list just make my fanboy heart want to do a jig. Marvel Ultimate Alliance delivered a believable storyline of the entire Marvel Universe. It also had a huge chunk of Marvel's core characters that we could play with. Even though there were a few minor variations to the characters, it is still very enjoyable.

The fact that you can create some of the classic team formations was enough for me. For example, with the inclusion of the Hulk on the Xbox 360 version of the game, I could finally have my own perfect Fantastic Four team that consisted of Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Wolverine, and Mr. Fixit, the street thug gray Hulk. Something so small and trivial has me constantly making repeat play-throughs in Marvel's massive universe.

2. X-Men Legends

It would be unjust to put together a list of the best comic book related video games without mentioning the one title that seemed to bring the ease of four player co-op to the forefront. X-Men Legends brought several of our favorite mutants to life in pixilation glory and gave them a purpose that seemed to derive from the severely complex history of Marvel's Merry Mutants. There were even costumes from different eras of the X-Men that players could choose from, a trivia section for hardcore fans, and even a few newcomers to the mutant roster. The powers of the mutants were also something that fans could tweak and build to the ultimate realization of the characters. There were faults with the game, but it is safe to say that the golden moments far outshine the negative aspects. X-Men legends is the best at what it does, and what it does is give fans of the X-Men the ability to play as their favorite teams of characters.

1. Ultimate Spider-Man

So how do you top a list of great comic book games? You need a game that not only follows the source material, but also includes itself into the continuity of that title. That is exactly what Ultimate Spider-Man does with the creative team from the mega popular Ultimate Spider-Man title, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, behind the game itself. With Bendis writing the story line with continuity, the world of Ultimate Spider-Man was a bit of a different take on the comic book videogame. Bagley also provided the artwork for the character models. Granted, there were a few issues that weren't explained as far as the story itself, but it was nonetheless a part of the history these two creators were making at Marvel. Ultimate Spider-Man also did another thing, it gave a voice to the teenage Peter Parker and delivered on the deadpan humor of Spidey that no other game has been able to capture. Overall, this game was a huge accomplishment for a videogame rooted in a comic that has grounded itself into comic history for the past 7 years.